The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1887-01-13

transmitted by signals on the life line.
No signals except for air are ever sent
by the hose.
''We saved an immense amount of
stuff. OF course, we brought up much
that was entirely valueiess after the
soaking it had received-a lot of artif-
cial flowers, for instance, the condition
OF which you may imagine. The divers
could not tell when they got hold of
box what was in it, and consequently
selection of cargo was quite impossible.
Some of the changes that had been
worked by the water were surprising.
Boxes containing dry goods that had
been iron hooped at the ends were so
bulged out by the swelling of the satur.
ated stuffs inside that they were round
as hogsheads. One part of the cargo
that We could dispose of down below
was the rice, vast number of bags OF
which were aboard. They were SIM
ply thrown out and sank to the bottom
like lead, thousands of them. Before
we were half through there was moth.
ing in the hold that would float. Every
thing was loaded with water. Even
the white pine of the boxes was heavy
as metal. And along toward the last
every thing got to smelling bad.
''Some of the hardest work we had
was the getting out of the mail-bags
from the room where they were slowed
in the bow, but we met that by simply
cutting a hole through the iron side OF
the vessel and getting at them directly.
otherwise each one would have had to
be carried out separately, for no tackle
could ever have dragged them out by
the tortuous way they would have had
to 60. There is a clock that, among
other things, we fished out 1t stopped
at nine minutes before one o'clock.
the exact time that the vessel went
down, no doubt.
''About the middle of September we
found that we had got out all that could
be rescued that was of any value at all,
and all that was left was to see that
nothing of the vessel WAS left sticking
up far enough to be an obstruction in
the way of commerce. We satisfied
ourselves that the highest point of the
vessel left was twelve fathoms below
the surface. The foremast had fallen
when she went down, and the main
mast and smoke-stacks were swept
away by the heavy waves made by
storms. All was without the possibility
OF doing harm, and on September 9th
we came away.
'sThe amount that we will receive
for our services can not be fixed until
the underwriters have ascertaine1 the
value of cargo recovered, as our COM
pensation comes in the form of per-
centage, the proportion of which is, in
every instance dependent upon the
value of the recovery and the difficult
ties attendant upon the work of sal
wage. The underwriters generally fix
the amount of percentage to be allowed.
People who know little about such mat.
ters are apt to be surprised at our per.
centages and think that we must make
enormous fortunes on every wreck
But they do not know the cost of the
work to us. We have to keep large
and expensive force ready all the time,
and our fires banked ready for instant
service We have been as much as five
months with nothing to do, yet under
heavy expenses all the time. And then
when we get to work, see what our ex-
penditure must amount to. The fact
is that there is very much less profit
and far more risk of capital and dan
ger to life in our business than per-
sons outside marine circles have any
idea of. For saving the material of
vessel we get from fifty to seventy per
cent. of its value. The allowance on
salvage of cargo depends upon circum-
stances, and is either privately agreed
upon with owners or left to the settle
ment of the underwriters. Cisci,a.
,Gti Enquirer.